During the phase of cancer diagnosis, a patient must know every possible treatment available for them. Understanding each of the treatments is very crucial, of which chemotherapy is a very common and effective treatment for almost all cancers. Chemotherapy is further divided into many parts because there are multiple types of chemotherapy available for cancer. People often confuse the two major chemotherapies, which we will discuss below, and the basic key differences between oral chemotherapy vs IV chemotherapy. This guide will also help you to understand their advantages and different challenges.
Strong, powerful drugs are used to treat cancer and to kill the cancer cells or slow their multiplying growth. The medicines used in this target the dividing cells instantly, which is the main characteristic of cancer cells. It is done to fight against cancer, prevent the spread of cancer cells further, and to reduce the symptoms related to it. The method of chemotherapy can impact your lifestyle.
Overview of Oral Chemotherapy
Intaking the medicines of anti-cancer from the mouth in the form of liquid, solid pills, or capsules, is known as oral chemotherapy. This is very popular these days as pharma ceutical companies have achieved this much that now treating the cancer doesn’t require needles or painful incisions. The multiple hospital visits are also not needed.
Advantages of Oral Chemotherapy
There are so many advantages of oral chemotherapy as below:
- Convenience and Comfort: Taking medicines at home, not required to visit the hospital again and again, can help patients, especially those living far from the hospital or in rural areas.
- Independent to do Anything: Fewer hospital visit means more control over your daily lifestyle and regular work.
- Non-Invasive: Reduces the risk of injection as there is no requirement to make any incision or insert needles.
- Flexibility: You can take your medicines in your spare time, within the timeline.
- Privacy: Fewer hospital visits mean no compromise with your privacy.
- Cost-friendly: It could be less expensive because of fewer visits to hospitals.
Challenges of Oral Chemotherapy
There are some challenges in oral chemotherapy as follows:
- Responsibility of the Patient: A patient must strictly adhere to their dose intake as prescribed by the doctor.
- Unwanted Risk: The effectiveness of treatment can be compromised if a patient misses a dose or takes an excessive amount.
- Irregular Monitoring: Low monitoring or less frequent medical follow-up with your healthcare team may delay the detection and cause severe problems.
- Complete coverage of Insurance: Some insurance covers a partial part of oral chemotherapy compared with IV chemotherapy.
- Difficulty in Swallowing: People with gastrointestinal issues can face difficulty in swallowing.
- Handling and Storage: Storing drugs at home can be a careful task, keeping each drug in its perfect, suitable environment.
Overview of IV Chemotherapy
When a drug is directly inserted into the blood flow with the help of a standard IV line or a port that is placed under the skin. This process is known as Intravenous chemotherapy, or IV chemotherapy. These treatments are limited to certain places, like cancer hospitals or infusion centres for cancer.
Advantages of IV Chemotherapy
- Doses are Precise: The injected amount of drug is well-precise and accurate.
- Immediate Supervision: If patients face any complications after being injected, he or she might not need to worry because they are already in the hospital.
- Monitoring Frequently: Regular follow-up meetings and tests can help ensure your health chart is more precise.
- Bypasses Digestive System: No interference with the gastrointestinal system, as this is directly injected into the blood.
- Multiple Options of Drugs: Some medicines of chemotherapy are only available for use in IV therapies due to their properties.
- Emotional Support: A person needs to visit regularly in IV chemotherapy, which also helps to build strong emotional and mental supportive connections with their doctor and team.
Challenges of IV Chemotherapy
- Lifestyle Interference: Daily work and family time can be interpreted due to the regular follow-ups with the healthcare team.
- Risk of Infection: Equipment and IV lines can transfer deadly bacteria into the blood if not sanitized properly.
- Physical Discomfort: Incision of needle, sitting for a longer time, or placement of a port under the skin may cause discomfort or irritation.
- Time-Consuming: Going hospital regularly can be time-consuming as well, and the infusion of the drug also tak es time.
- Low Privacy: Going hospital regularly can compromise privacy, or getting infused in a centre where there are more patients, could be mentally challenging for some people.
- Complications in Veins: Multiple insertions over the period of time at the same place can cause damage or irritation in the veins.
Key Differences Between Oral Chemotherapy vs IV Chemotherapy
Here are clear differences in features for both:
Administration
- Oral Chemotherapy: Drugs are taken by mouth in the form of liquid, syrups, capsules, or tablets.
- IV Chemotherapy: The drug is infused directly into the veins at cancer centres.
Convenience
- Oral Chemotherapy: Fewer visits to the hospital result in more convenience for patients to stay at home, because all prescribed drugs can be taken at home.
- IV Chemotherapy: It is more time-consuming, and it requires regular follow-ups and visits to the hospital.
Patient Control
- Oral Chemotherapy: A patient is more flexible with the timings, as they can obtain the medicines at any time within the time period.
- IV Chemotherapy: Follow-ups, tests, and doses are strictly monitored and scheduled by the healthcare team, which results in low flexibility.
Monitoring
- Oral Chemotherapy: Fewer visits to the hospital result in lower monitoring of patients. It is the responsibility of the patient to take timely doses and properly handle or store the drugs.
- IV Chemotherapy: Directly monitored by the medical team, the time to team, which can instantly take action during any unwanted mishappening or side effects.
Side Effects
- Oral Chemotherapy: Similar effects as IV chemotherapy, nausea, mouth soreness, and fatigue. Additionally, the drugs are taken orally, which can cause gastrointestinal issues.
- IV Chemotherapy: Fatigue, hair loss, and nausea are some common side effects of this. But the medical team is there to take immediate action in case of any instant side effect.
Drug Absorption
- Oral Chemotherapy: Complete absorption of drugs can be interrupted due to food in the stomach or intestines.
- IV Chemotherapy: Almost complete absorption of drugs occurs as the drugs are infused into the blood.
Potential Risks
- Oral Chemotherapy: Effectiveness can be reduced due to missed doses or due to an incorrect amount of the drug taken.
- IV Chemotherapy: There is a risk of damage to veins or transfer of bacteria through IV lines, blood clots, or allergies.
Cost
- Oral Chemotherapy: It falls under pharmacy cost, which can affect your pocket, as most insurance doesn’t cover the pharmacy cost in their coverage.
- IV Chemotherapy: This treatment can be higher in cost, but most insurance covers it completely as it falls under medical costs.
Applicability
- Oral Chemotherapy: It is used for some types of cancer, as colon or breast cancer. Some IV drugs are also present in oral forms.
- IV Chemotherapy: It is standard for advanced cancer diseases or to treat aggressive cancer cells. There are so many drugs that aren’t available in oral form, which makes patients have to have IV chemotherapy.
Factors That Influence Your Treatment Method
Deciding between Oral chemotherapy vs IV chemotherapy is not always in your hands. Because it majorly depends on the type of cancer you’re suffering from, the type of treatment you require, and the stage of cancer. Some treatments of cancers respond better with the oral form, and some with the intravenous form. Before finalising the decision of chemotherapy, your oncologist can determine the following factors:
- Overall health of the patient and ability to face the treatment.
- Consider the patient’s lifestyle and ability to handle the doses of medicines by themselves.
- To check which chemotherapy will work on the patient in the most effective way.
- Considering the cost, including budget planning and insurance coverage.
- And lastly, the personal preference according to the convenience and personalised care.
Conclusion
There is no direct way to choose the right one between oral chemotherapy vs IV chemotherapy. The most proper way to determine between these two is to consult your doctor and take advice according to your cancer type, stage, and the best treatment for it. Modern approaches and advancements in the medical world can offer a less invasive option for patients. However, the success of any chemotherapy depends on various factors, including lifestyle and careful considerations.